Thursday, December 01, 2005

I'm running, early in the morning, but have very little time to post. I can't get the computer at home, between my wife's work and my teenage daughter's use of the computer, and at work I'm just too busy to get in any posting. I'm already working at 7:30 most days, and I just can't post.

Anyway, I'm getting in some mileage, doing pretty well. I'm holding off on any races until the spring (that's late May to early June around here) and summer. I haven't forgotten Charleston in May.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

I don't seem to have any time at all. From the time I arrive at work to the time I go home, I'm going like a man possessed. Even lunch yesterday, I couldn't get a few minutes free. Which is why I'm updating so late.

I got in about a mile and a half at 5 am yesterday. It was snowing when I got out--that kind of snow that looks so gentle in a sheltered area, but as soon as you turn into the wind, it's driving into your face. I misplaced my gloves, too, so I'm going to have to get some new ones before it gets cold out.

I'm not having the Achilles problem, as long as I take a day between runs. I'm hoping that it doesn't come back.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

I'm back, after a long hiatus. I can't believe it's been three months since my last post. I've only been running about once or twice a week at most since August. Between work and family (and that nagging Achilles Tendon problem), I've been slacking off. But I'm back on the road now.

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

I don't have a lot of time, but that will change soon. I've got a major project I'm working on, and I should reach a milestone on Wednesday. After that, I should be having a bit more free time.

I'm taking a couple of days off after each day of running, to give my Achilles time to recover, and it seems to be helping-the stiffness isn't as bad, and it gets easier each running day. Soon, I'll switch to every other day, and sometime after that, to 5 days a week.

Looks like my best racing will be next year. Oh, well, time to lay down a good base.

Sunday, July 31, 2005

At work, I'm with a small, expanding company. My department (of which I am the head) has two permanent people, including me, plus a summer intern. We have enough work for five full-time people, plus the intern. I've been running, but not posting.

For a couple of days, I've had very tight, sore Achilles Tendons. I'm feeling better now, but I'll have to watch them for a while.

Monday, July 25, 2005

It was almost 80 degrees this morning when I ran. That was at 5am. Once again, I came back soaking wet--I turned on the hose and let it run over my head for a few seconds. The humidity isn't too bad today, but the temperature willb e pretty high.

I got in a 3 miler this morning. This will be an easy week--most of my runs will be 3 miles or so, with one 4-miler and one 5 miler. Next week, a little more distance.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

I can't update every day, simply because I'm too busy. I'm planning a trip to Georgia to pick up my remaining belongings, which are in a storage unit in the Roswell/Alpharetta area. We refer to the storage unit as "Storgia," short for Storage in Georgia.

At the same time, the division I'm working in is expanding (the reason I was hired in the first place), so I'm working quite a bit, including weekends.

Anyway, I got out for 5 miles yesterday, and 3 this morning. My pace has been good, just under 8:00/mile. I'm hoping life settles down a bit in the coming weeks. I still have all my hair, but that may not last if this keeps up.

Friday, July 22, 2005

I have to work on making the morning run into a habit again. It was very easy when I was staying with a friend to get out of the habit, but by doing it again and again, I can make it a part of my day that I will miss when I skip it. Some people say it takes a month, some say a week, some people say four days and it's a habit. I think I'm leaning toward the month idea. Keep it up for a month, and you can't go without it.

I got out this morning for four miles. 7:19 pace, faster than I had wanted to go, but not an uncomfortable pace. Perhaps it's time I revised my standards.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

I'm starting to get settled in at home, and starting a regular routine, which includes morning runs. I got out this morning for 3 miles at 7:30 pace. Oops.I was supposed to run 4 miles at 8:00 pace today, and the 3 miles at 7:30 tomorrow. I guess I'll run the 4 miles tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

So I haven't had much of an opportunity to post at all this month. Major upheavals in my life have just come to an end. I was offered a job--an offer I could not turn down--in June, and started my new job on July 5th. I moved (twice!) into a new house. Things have settled down quite a bit, though.

I did manage to get out and run about every two or three days over the last two weeks, but even when I did get out, the heat/humidity was stifling and I would be soaking wet after only a few hundred yards. I got out for only a mile and a half one day and came back looking like I had gone swimming. One nice thing about our new house is central air.

Now that I'm in my house, and settled in at my new job, I should be settling in. I got out this morning for about 3.5 miles. I'm using Gmaps Pedometer to get approximate distances for runs in the neighborhood.

Saturday, July 02, 2005

I haven't updated since Tuesday. A lot has been going on, but not any running.

On Tuesday night, my dog died. She had been with me for 15 years, and had run with me for the first 5 of those years. She was probably between 16 and 17 years old--we never knew exactly how old she was, since she was a stray when we got her. She was a great companion--my wife used to refer to her as my girlfriend. I'm going to miss her.

Thursday night, we moved in with a friend, after putting almost all of our posessions in storage. We are now homeless,but sometime between the 10th and the 14th, our new house will be ready to moveinto.

I have a race on Monday, and I'm really not quite ready,since I haven't run much this week. We'll sehow it goes.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

I got out for an easy 1.5 yesterday, and went 4 miles this morning. Hot this morning, temp over 70 degrees, and very high humidity. Supposed to be even hotter this afternoon/tonight. I hope the heat breaks soon.

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Yesterday was hot. Temps above 85F by 9am. Temps topped out around 97F. I tried to get out for 4.5 at around 10am yesterday and the whole experience was miserable. Fortunately for me, there are quite a few people who water their lawns in the mid-morning on hot days. I had to stop and walk several times yesterday, so I can't even say how my time/pace was on the run.

Today, I got out at around 9:30 for the same 4.5. Still pretty warm, but below 80F. Finished the 4.5 in 32:48, which works out to 7:17 pace.

I've had a head cold for almost a week, now (Thanks Oed!), and while I was out, my sinuses loosened up just enough to start a major post-nasal drip running. When it started, it triggered my gag reflex, and I did have to stop for a few seconds. Later on, in the last mile of the run, a cottonwood seed drifted into my mouth, setting me off again.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Life is hectic right now. We're moving out of our house on the 30th and moving in to our new house sometime between the 10th and the 14th. Two week sublets are very hard to find in Rochester, particularly 2+ bedroom sublets. Two weeks in an extended-stay hotel would cost us more than a month's rent at our house, and that would be for one room. So, it's off to stay with friends.

I got out for about 4.5 miles this morning, nice and easy. I ran about 4 yesterday, and got in a little over two with Electra after I got home. I don't know if she'll be running at all tonight--she's spending the day at Six Flags today with her class from school.

Oed has a soccer game tonight--I don't know whether I'll get in any miles at all tonight.

Monday, June 20, 2005

I ran in a 5K race yesterday. I made a couple of mistakes that I should not have been making at this stage. The first was going out too fast. I went out in 3:30 for the first kilometer. That's about 17:30 pace for a 5K. that's way too fast for the stage I'm at right now, and I was feeling it by the middle of the second mile. The other mistake I made was forgetting that mile two is the best laxative in the world. I was feeling that by the middle of the second mile, too.

All in all, though, I did pretty well. I finished in 20:23, about 30 seconds off what I was shooting for. If I had taken it ea little bit easyfor the first mile or so, I might have been able to maintain the pace, and finish in my goal time. As it was, I was the 14th masters finisher.

I talked to an old friend on Friday, the race director and president of a running club. The club requires members to "represent" the club in races at least three times a year and to work at a minimum of three races a year. Once I can get my 5K time down below 20:00 consistently, I think I'll join the club.

My 7-year-old ran in a race yesterday, too. My race finished in the baseball stadium, and all kids under 13 could run in a race with "Spikes" the mascot, who is a man in a bird suit. They broke it down into heats by age--first the under-3's (very cute), the 4-5's, etc. Oed ran his race and got a little participant's ribbon, which we pinned to his race number.

I got out for three miles this morning, making the same (first) mistake I made yesterday. I just felt so good that I went out too fast, and slowed way down near the end of the run. Electra and I are going to run together later today, and I'll probably run a few hundred yards with Oed.

Friday, June 17, 2005

I got out for another 4 miles this morning, and didn't have that leadlegs feeling. Nice, easy miles, coasting along. Electra says she'll be running later today. She has exams, so she's not going into school until 12:00 today.

Oed had his first soccer game last night. It was a lot of fun to watch, and he had fun too. He played forward for the first half of the game, and got one breakaway, which unfortunately did not end in a goal. During the second half, he was the goalie, and he was perfect in the goal. He had a lot of fun, too.

I won't be getting out to run tonight. My father and sister have birthdays in June, Father's Day is coming up, and of course all graduations are in June. We have developed the tradition in my family of having "June Day." We all get together and celebrate all of the June events at the same time. The restaurant owners love us when we have June Day--My parents, their 5 adult children and 12 grandchildren. Unfortunately, none of the grandchildren and only 4 children and one spouse will be there tonight, but a party of 7 for dinner is still a pretty good-sized check.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

OK, I had a couple of days off to take care of some personal matters and haven't run since the 13th. I got out this morning for about 4 miles and my legs felt like lead. I need to get more sleep. On the bright side, the nighttime temperatures have dropped back down below 70, so I can sleep comfortably. Last night, the temps were all the way down to the 50s.

I'm thinking about entering a race on Sunday morning--it's a 5K to raise money for ALS research. The race finishes in the local AAA Baseball team's stadium, and after the race, there's a kids race against the mascot. Any kid who can beat a man in a bird suit gets a ribbon of some kind. I'm thinking about entering Oed in the race--he has said that he wants to run in a race.

Sounds like it could be fun.

A strange thing happened the other day. I went to the library and got out a book published in the late 80s for self-coached runners. I was looking at the training program for the 5K, and on the page opposite one of the training programs was a photo of one of my college teammates, who I have not seen since 1983.

Monday, June 13, 2005

It has been so hot lately, that this morning I just took it easy. The temperature didn't drop below 70 degrees last night, so I didn't get much sleep. We live in a house which has 60+ year old electrical service, and I don't think the fuse box could handle the strain of an air conditioner. That's right, the fuse box. We don't even have circuit breakers. Anyway, we ran fans through the night, which didn't really do the job, and we were awake most of the night. The humidity has only made the heat worse, so I'm exhausted. I'm thinking of trying to get som esleep at work today--ha ha.

I got in about 2.5 this morning, and I'll get in at least a couple more with electra this evening.

Saturday, June 11, 2005

I ran in my first trail race this morning. The race was the Powerbar Trail Race, held in Mendon Ponds Park. There were actually two races, a 4.5 mile and a 9 mile. Since I am not in any kind of shape for a 9 mile race, I opted for the 4.5.

I did pretty well--the hills took a lot out of me, and the logs I had to jump and duck also made my legs not want to continue. My finish was pretty good--I was 13th overall, and the second male masters runner. My friend Andy was about a minute ahead of me, 8th overall, and the first master. I ran the 4.5 in 39:19 by my watch. Time, of course, isn't really important in a race like this, since the terrain has so much of an effect on your race.

I'm surprised that I (and others who ran with me in college) haven't run more of these trail races. We used to run training runs that were quite a bit like these trail races. Maybe organizing them and making htem into races is what's keeping everyone away.

Anyway, I got a nice little piece of hardware for my trouble, and, since i didn't put down a T-shirt size on my entry, a shirt for Electra.

Friday, June 10, 2005

I got out last night to run--I ran the first half-mile or so with Electra, then the lightning started, so we cut it short. She turned around and went straight back, while I took a slightly longer route--she went about a mile, while I wne a mile and a half--and we raced to see who would get home first. I won, but only by a hair; she was walking around the trees at the corner when I reached the driveway.

Later on, after the thunderstorm had passed by, I got out for another three milesat a good clip. My feet feel pretty good, no pain this morning.

I took today off, and I'll get in a run tomorrow, probably in the morning.

Thursday, June 09, 2005

"The goal of the runner is not health. His objective is the fitness necessary for maximal performance. Health is something the runner goes through on his way to fitness."--George Sheehan, Running and Being

I find that running is easier on my foot when I run in the afternoon. I got in about 2-2.5 miles with my daughter last night. Tonight I'm going to try for a 3 miler after I get home. That'll probably be late tonight, since my son has a soccer practice tonight at 7:15.

This week has been the week from hell (hebdomas horriblis) for me when it comes to technology. Earlier this week, I spent about two days cleaning the malware out of our home computer. I still don't think it's all gone, but our firewall is stopping access to the internet from the two remaining programs. I had some trouble with the dryer this week--gremlins or something opened the door after about 5 minutes of the cycle. I tried to get my cell phone switched from a NYC area code to a Rochester area code--the customer service person sent me a SIMM that was set up for a Rochester area code and a Manhattan ZIP code--the SIMM could not be activated, and my phone does not work. That night, the "Check Engine" light in the car came on--it just needs a new PCV valve, and we're having some preventive maintenance done--when the car is over 104,000 you can't be too careful. Now today, my battery-powered toothbrush fell apart in my mouth. Fortunately, we had a spare in its package available. And just to add one (hopefully) final kick, today, while I was riding the elevator down at lunch, the car stopped on the 12th floor, the doors opened about an inch, and the car just shut down. Again, I was fortunate in that the doors closed and the elevator started to function again after a few minutes, but I'm almost ready to go live in a hut in the woods somewhere and never use anything electronic again.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

I missed posting yesterday, mainly because I was running ad-aware and spybot:search and destroy on our home computer. Damn spammers.

I got out for two miles yesterday morning, followed by a mile with my daughter after work. I'm taking it very easy, to avoid further injury. I'm also icing my foot after each run, whether it hurts or not. It seems to be working--the pain is much reduced, almost unnoticeable now. I got out for another 2 miles this morning, and I'm hoping to get out with my daughter again tonight.

She's joining her school's cross-country team in the fall, and she signed up for the 300-mile club for the summer. Apparently, her school has a 200, 300, 400 and 500 mile club--she'll be trying to run that distance over the summer in preparation for the season in the fall. I'll be doing everthing I can to help her out.

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Einstein is supposed to have said "Only two things are infinite: the universe and the human capacity for stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." I saw someone today who would seem to confirm that statement.

First things first. I got out for about two miles this morning. My foot felt pretty good, it hurt a little bit in the first few hundred yards, but quickly settled down. I'm going to try another two tomorrow morning and see how it goes.

Today there was a race I wanted to get into. The Temple Beth El 5K. It's part of a trifecta of 5K races in the area. The second is the Father Murphy 5K, which is at a Catholic church, and the third is the Fish and Loaves 5K, which is at an Episcopal church. An old college friend of mine is the race director of the last, so I'm almost definitely running in that one. Unfortunately, with my foot the way it was, I didn't think I'd be running at all by today, so I didn't enter and I forgot all about it.

Now for the stupidity. On about my second mile, I saw someone riding a bike in the street. He had on no helmet, was wearing headphones, and was riding east in the passing lane of the westbound side of the road. On top of all that, he spent most of the time I could see him turned around in the seat, watching where he had just come from.

Friday, June 03, 2005

This Sunday, June 5, at 2pm (EST) the Prefontaine Classic will be broadcast on NBC. Track & Field only gets an hour out of the broadcast day, but they are sure to be showing the men's 2-mile race. Alan Webb, the best miler in the US, Dathan Ritzenhein, the best 5k runner in the US, and Hicham el Gerrouj, the world record holder in the mile, will all be in the race. In addition, Paula Radcliffe (yes, that Paula Radcliffe) will be racing in the women's 1500 meters. I had no idea that she was that versatile.

I'm getting better--I walked to my son's soccer practice last night, and even did a little bit of running on the way over. I'm taking it easy until I'm completely healed, though. I still have to find a Primary Care Physician. That's the worst part of changing jobs--changing insurance.

I've moved many times--so many times that my poor daughter, now in 8th grade, has attended seven schools in five districts. With all of that moving around, I have, obviously, moved without some of my "stuff." Some things I parted with easily, some were harder to give up. My books on running were among the things that I didn't want ot leave behind, but books are heavy and bulky, and so often must be disposed of before moving. Among the books I have given up was George Sheehan's Running and Being. I got it from the library the other day, and I now remember why I liked it so much. I'm going to have to get another copy soon. It's probably the best book on running ever written. No training programs or schedules, but inspiration in abundance.

Tuesday, May 31, 2005

Had a great time in NYC, kids loved it and my daughter made me promise that I would take her back during the summer, and go to the Chelsea Flea Market. She even made me put it in writing. My wife held up her little finger and said "Hop on, Daddy." Hey, when it's something you want to do anyway, it's really hard to say no.

Still no running, my foot is still giving me problems. I'm going to see about using a stationary bike for a few days.

Friday, May 27, 2005

I'll be gone 'til Tuesday. I'm taking my family to NYC for the weekend tomorrow morning. My place on SI is still mine for a while, so we'll be staying there for a couple of days. I won't be doing any running while I'm there, but probably a lot of walking.

Wednesday, May 25, 2005

OK, so I can't really take more than a couple days off. I'm jogging very slowly, and less than a mile, every night with my daughter. I'm not aggravating the injury, and it's feeling better each day. Maybe by Monday or Tuesday I'll be up to a two or three miler again.

Monday, May 23, 2005

I'm not going to run for a few days now, to see what happens with my foot. I need to take it easy while I'm recovering.

The Lilac 10K is a very well-conducted event, and I highly recommend it. Apparently, the upper-level runners who were scheduled to race (several Kenyans and some Ethiopians) were unable to make it to the race. Several were reported to have had the flu. The race had a field of around 1200 this year, with over 1100 finishers. There's also a 5K an hour before the race. The race is held as part of the Lilac Festival; Rochester's Highland Park has a huge collection of Lilacs, and you can smell them from over a quarter-mile away. If you're going to be in Upstate New York in May, you couldn't do much better for a race.

Sunday, May 22, 2005

I ran the Lilac 10K today. It's a great race, with a big field and runners ranging from international elites to recreational runners. One of the latter was wearing a t-shirt that said "I'm slow, I know, get over it." My 14-year old daughter, Electra, went with me to breakfast at 6:30 this morning, and then walked with me to the race.

I went out in about 7 minutes flat for the first mile. It took me almost 15 seconds to get to the start line, so officially, it was 7:15. The first mile was slightly uphill and very crowded. There's no system of staggering estimated finish times, so the racers were pretty well mixed; slow runners and fast runners as close to the start line as they wanted to be. I was not up with the elites, so I didn't see who was up there with them. Since I was expecting to be finishing in about 46:00, I started about midway back in the starting pack, figuring that would be about average, and I would be behind the fast people and in front of the slower ones.

I passed a lot of people during the first mile. In fact, I think I passed more in the first mile than in any other portion of the race. I zigged and zagged, jumping back and forth to get a good open lane in front of me.

The second mile started uphill, but only for a few hundred yards, then went into a long downhill. I continued passing people, but not as many as during the first mile. I didn't see the two-mile mark, so I have no idea what my 2-mile split was. The first water stop, which I skipped, was also in the second mile. I ran down the center of the road so as to avoid the slowing and stopping at the water tables, which were on both sides of the road.

It was during the third mile that my foot started giving me problems again. The pain was in the middle of my foot, right in the center of the arch. After just a few steps, it was gone and I was able to run normally. I got to the three mile point in 21:09 and the 5K a few seconds later. I accidentally cleared my watch (I'm still trying to operate it in the same way my old watch worked, and this one is very different), so I don't have any more of my splits.

The fourth mile turned into my neighborhood. The people of the neighborhood had a water table out and were cheering the runners on. I heard one small group call out "Go, daddy!" but it wasn't for me...yet.

The four mile point was right in front of my house. My wife and my son were standing in front of the house cheering for me. The had written "Go, Dad!" and "Go, Bren!" in chalk on the street. As I passed, I high-fived my son and wife. My four mile split was somewhere around 28:00, but I can't be sure.

After the four-mile point was where I fell apart. The fifth mile was a slight uphill, and it was there that I began to die. I don't remember my 5-mile split at all, and it's probably just as well, since I felt like that mile was my worst. I'm pretty sure that I ran the sixth mile faster than the fifth.

The announcer at the finish line called out my name and identified me as "Former McQuaid Star..." which is, I think, a bit of an exaggeration, but lifted me a bit. My overall time was around 45:00 and change. I checked my time and place on the official results, but didn't have anything to write with.

I know I was 39th in my age group, and 189th overall. Not bad for a first showing. My foot started giving me some trouble after the race was over, and walking back home was somewhat uncomfortable. I'll have to rest a few days, to see what the problem is, and how fast it will clear up.

I don't know what my next race will be, but I'm definitely going to try to race the Fairport Firecracker 5 on July 3rd.

Update: My time was 44:32. Better than the time of 46:00 I predicted some time ago.

Friday, May 20, 2005

I got out last night for an easy jog with Electra last night. Working on building up that endurance. She did an extra lap around the block after I was done, as well.

Here's something I hadn't seen before: Master's runner caught cheating (last paragraph). His final time in the SunTrust Richmond Marathon was 2:45:12. His half marathon split was 1:59, meaning he would have to have run the last 13.1 miles in approximately 46 minutes.

Is $250.00 really that much money that someone would cheat to win it? Is it worth getting a trophy/medal for first place that you didn't really win? I wouldn't want a trophy for winning a race that I didn't even run.

Thursday, May 19, 2005

I'm taking the day off to make sure nothing is going on with my foot. I got out for a light jog around the block with Electra last night. First time that she's jogged the whole way. I'm going to start jogging every night with her. She wants to join the cross-country team next year. Her favorite teacher is the coach of the girls' cross team. I'll do everything I can to help her get ready for the team.

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

I got out for an easy mile this morning. Felt pretty good, no pain in the foot. The race is Sunday--whether I run any before then depends on how I feel through the week. I may do another mile, maybe two or, if this is the best of all possible worlds, I will be fine tomorrow, with no pain and I will go out for 4 or 5. Yeah.

I'll probably take at least one day off between runs, may or may not get to race Sunday.

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Feeling better, the IB/ice/rest seems to be working. I'm gong to try to get out for a mile tomorrow. Take it easy, relax and recover.

I've been reading these "You might be a runner if..." items, and these are a few I thought were good:

You might be a runner if:

you use "10 miles" and "easy" in the same breathGatorade is your drug of choiceYou can eat your weight in spaghettiYou own spandex in more than 1 colorYou run around in the shower to get wetPeople tell you how sick you look, even though you've never felt betterYou get offended when people say how healthy you lookYou've used the phrase "It's not really a hill..."You get back at your ex by dating someone faster than him/herNational collegiate "powerhouses" are Colorado, Stanford, and Arkansas....not Florida State, Miami, and OklahomaYour watch costs more than your carYour email address contains a distance or time

Monday, May 16, 2005

I didn't have much computer access over the weekend. When my wife's got work, that's first priority on the computer, and everyone else takes a back seat.

I got out for a few miles on Saturday afternoon. My arch started giving me some pain after I finished. I've applied ice and ibuprofen to the problem, and it seems to help. I may get a heel support tonight and see if that helps.

Thursday, May 12, 2005

I started having a pain in the sole of my foot yesterday which makes me limp just a little bit. I'm going to take a couple of days off, rest it, and it WILL BE OK!. I'm not going to mention the P-F word because I DON'T HAVE IT. It's just a little bit of soreness. The soreness will go away by the end of the day tomorrow at the latest.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

I took Monday off--I actually got out onto the road, but only went about 500 feet before my right knee started giving me a bit of pain. I stopped right away and walked back hame, taking the day off.

Yesterday, I got out early and ran about 3 miles without any pain, almost all on roads surrounding the house. This morning, I got out for about 4 miles. I was about a quarter-mile from my start when I looked over into the park and saw about 6 deer standing in the field. It's been a long time since I've been that close to deer--I never saw any in Georgia, and certainly not in NYC. I don't think there are any deer within 30 miles of Staten Island. I also triggered a standard poodle in someone's backyard; barking at me as I went by.

Unfortunately, I will be moving again(!) at the end of June. The lease on this house is up June 30th (we asked for a lease at least until the end of the school year) and the landlords (who are not professional landlords, but are very nice people), want to sell the house. We're trying to get a house in the same neighborhood, since both Electra and Oedipus have friends in the neighborhood, but it looks like we'll be moving about two or three miles away.

Sunday, May 08, 2005

I got out for a 4.5 mile run this morning. I was nearly to the end when I saw someone running up ahead. I couldn't tell which way they were running--they were that far away--but I decided to race them. When I got closer, I'd decide what the finish line was. The whole distance I ran after this person was a little bit over a half mile. They were moving away from me, and when I noticed that, I made the race to the major intersection at the end of my run. I fell just a little bit short--I was only about 50 feet behind this person when they finished at the last intersection. Not bad, considering that the other person had more than a quarter-mile head start on me.

I'm going to start speed work soon--I'll have to do the speed work on weekends, since no track will be available to me on weekdays.

Starting the new job in the morining. I'm going to get up at 5:00-5:30 to get a run in before work.

Saturday, May 07, 2005

I got out for about 5.5 miles this morning. The weather was beautiful--58 degrees, sunny with no wind whatsoever. The hills are a little bit bigger in Rochester than on SI. I couldn't get out yesterday--family commitments, the DMV, etc. I also have to go out and but a suit. After 10+ years in a business casual work environment, I'm back into a more formal one.

I was in a discussion last night about this subject: What's the dumbest thing anyone has ever said to you about or while you were running? Mine was "Running is bad for your heart." This was shortly after Jim Fixx died. So, what's the dumbest thing anyone has ever said to you about running? And what's the best thing anyone has ever said to you about/while you were running?

Thursday, May 05, 2005

I got out for a 4.4 mile run this morning at around 10. I'm in the enviable position of not having to go to work for a few days. I don't start the new job until Monday.

I'm thinking of joining the informal running group at Fleet Feet tomorrow. Every Friday, they go about 4 miles; the newsletter says that the group includes all paces. I could probably find someone at my level.

I ran past my teenage daughter's school. Fortunately for her, nobody saw me out there. When I told her that I went past her school in my running shorts, she was mortified and told me never to do that again. I couldn't promise anything like that, since the Fleet Feet is about a mile from the house, and I would have to go past her school to get there.

I'm missing the walking I did in NYC. This place is much more a car-oriented city than NY was, although not nearly as much as ATL. The supermarket is only about ten minutes walk from here, and there's a Starbucks about 10 minutes in the other direction. Maybe I can get in some walks late in the day.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

I got to Rochester last night. I didn't have any chances to run yesterday--too busy celebrating with my family. Today, I was unloading my truck and helping my 7-year-old ride the bike he got for his birthday, today. I'll get back into the running tomorrow.

The weather here is a bit colder than I had in NYC--the highs are in the 40s and the lows in the 30s. So, I'm back into the long-sleeved shirts after running in t-shirts.

Sunday, May 01, 2005

Didn't get a chance to post yesterday, what with being busy packing and everything.

I got out for a 5.5 mile run, nice and easy yesterday morning. I got soaked, since there was a gentle, steady rain falling. It made everything quiet, which is unusual anywhere in NYC, even Staten Island. I decided to go by the Rooster's house one last time, but even he was being quiet.

Then I spent the day packing up my belongings. There are a few more things to be boxed up; in particular I will have to pack my computer. There were some clothes I was going to get rid of, but instead I will be using them as cushioning for my monitor, since I no longer have any of the styrofoam packing. The CPU will also take a few shirts as packing. Monday night, I will pick up the truck at the U-Haul in Chelsea. I'll spend the rest of the evening Monday packing the truck, and finish packing Tuesday morning. The drive will take about six to eight hours if I miss rush hours, so I'm hoping thatI can get out in the late morning. I do NOT want to drive a truck on the New Jersey Turnpike during Rush Hour.

Friday, April 29, 2005

She disappeared while she was out for a 40 minute run. Her fiance said that he knows roughly where she might be, but didn't know her exact route. I realize that I'm probably a lot less likely than she is to be singled out for malicious violence, but from now on, my route will be known to someone in my family whenever I go running.

Update: I'm glad to see that nothing happened to her, but people shouldn't go messing with the police like that. Filing a false report is serious business.

Out for a nice, easy three miles this morning. Tomorrow I'll get in a long run.

I've been looking at Rochester-area running groups/clubs on the internet. One particular group interests me. They require members to work at a certain number of events/races which are sponsored by the club as well as represent the club in a certain number of races. They also have an event called the "Tour de Pain." This is a series of races on a Thursday night. It starts at 6pm with a 5K cross-country run. At 7pm, all participants race in a 400 meter dash (I don't know if enough people race to require heats). At 8pm, everyone races in a one-mile run. It sounds like a lot of fun, in a very painful way. It must be pretty popular, since it's now in its eleventh year. I don't know if I'm going to be in any kind of shape for it this year, but who knows? By late August I might be able to handle something like this.

Thursday, April 28, 2005

It was nice out this morning, about 50 degrees. I got out for my 3 mile rest day run on the AAAH run.

While I was running, I passed a bus going in the other direction, on a road which never has buses. As I got close to it, I saw the destination sign, which said "SIRR Shuttle / St. George" which meant that the train wasn't running. Of course, I instantly panicked, thinking that the train was shut down for the day. Buses generally take twice as long to cover the distance to the Ferry as the train does. Fortunatley, the SIRR was only shut down until the 6:17am (at my stop) train.

Tomorrow, I'm going for an easy run, followed by a long run on Saturday.

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

I should have gone out yesterday morning. At least then I would have had some more pleasant weather.

I ran the rooster hill run this morning, probably for the last time, since I move on Tuesday. I took it pretty easy through the first half, which left me more for the actual hill, which is pretty long and increases in steepness as you go up.

the drainage on Staten Island seems kind of haphazard. there are some places where the storm drains take the water away very quickly, some places where it appears that the streets/gutters are the storm drains, and a few places where intersections are used as stormwater detention ponds. It makes your morning run very interesting when you can't tell whether you're about to step into 5 or 6 inches of water.

Monday, April 25, 2005

I got out for my 3-mile recovery this morning. I couldn't believe how quickly it went by. I wasn't really paying any attention to the watch, since this was a recovery run, but I was finished with my run, showered, shaved and dressed and ready to walk out the door for work a half-hour before I usually am. I didn't feel like I was sprinting or racing or anything like that--it felt like a recovery run. I didn't even encounter any pedestrians to have one-sided races with. Must be a sign of my improving condition. No more slogging, just a nice, light stride.

Sunday, April 24, 2005

I prefer to get out for new routes on Saturdays, since I'm running in the daylight, and have a better idea of where I'm going. Once I run a route once, though, I can do it in the dark very easily. That's why I got out for a new 5-mile route yesterday morning. It's a 5-mile route that I probably won't be running very many more times. One stretch of the route is along a five-lane road, and a good protion of it has no sidewalk/pedestrian area on it. Doing that in the dark would be near suicidal.

This morning, I decided to take a rest day, especially since I had laundry to take care of. Tomorrow, I'll get out for a nice, easy three, with a return to 5 miles on Tuesday.

I'm waiting until I get to Rochester to do my speedwork, since I have several good places there to do the runs, and I don't really know of any here on SI.

Thursday, April 21, 2005

I got in my long run this morning. I'm trying to alternate hard and easy days, with any speedwork to come on Saturday. If I do a hill run on Tuesday, then a long run on Thursday, Speedwork on Saturday, then I have a day of easy/rest after each of the first two and two days after the speedwork. This should allow me to bring down my times as time goes on.

The first week of May is going to be chaotic. I'll be packing on Monday, loading and driving on Tuesday, so my training may be interrupted somewhat that week.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

I got out for my 3-mile AAAH loop this morning, taking it nice and easy, not pushing or working too hard, and I still managed to get out early and catch the train earlier than I usually do. I'm not sure how I managed that. Won't be making a habit of it, though.

Of course, I'm leaving NYC at exactly the time when Central Park looks best. Oh, well, I'll be back.

I just noticed that the weather forecast for Rochester says "chance of snow" for this Saturday. Well, I've always said that Rochester has two seasons--winter and August.

1:50 pm: I just discovered that SBC Yahoo has been taking a monthly fee, even though I terminated the service at the end of October/beginning of November, when I sond the house. Apparently the billing office never got word. I check my account on a weekly basis, and I have never before noticed that they were doing this. However, to their credit, they are refunding all of the money which was withdrawn from my checking account.

This morning, I got out for the Rooster run. I felt pretty good until I was a hundred yards or so up the hill, at which point I started to flag. Then I remembered that case of beer next spring, and I found new determination. Of course, the case of beer will be in South Carolina, so it's not likely that any of it willbe coming back north with me, but the competition is giving me new determination.

The big news is: In the beginning of May, I'm leaving New York City for Rochester For the past ten months, I've been living apart from my family, doing an "every two weeks" commute between here and upstate. I found a pretty good job in Rochester and I'll be moving after may 2nd and starting my new job on May 9th. So it's goodbye to my friend the rooster.

Moving seems to be in the air right now--Christian is moving to Houston, Susan is moving to Connecticut--anybody else relocating?

Monday, April 18, 2005

Yesterday, I ran down to Wolfe's Pond Park (about a mile and a half away) to run the trail around the outside of the park. The Staten Island Athletic Club says that the trail is just over a mile. I took it easy, quick but comfortable, and I got around in about 6 minutes. Now, that means one of three things happened:

1. I took a wrong turn or I missed a portion of the trail, and I ran less than a mile,2. Whoever wrote the description of the trail mis-measured it and I ran less than a mile, or3. I've suddenly become one of the fastest milers on the planet, when an easy, comfortable mile takes me only 6 minutes.

I think option number 1 is the most likely, but 3 seems really attractive to me for some reason.

Day off today--I had trouble sleeping and couldn't get up for my morning session.

Friday, April 15, 2005

OK, first things first. I got out for my 5 1/2 mile long 4 mile run this morning. The wind was a little bit chilly (being originally from Upstate New York, I refer to any temperature between 20 and 50 as "a little bit chilly"), but once I got into the sheltered area downwind from Fresh Kills, it wasn't bad.

I talked to my youngest brother last night--he's the baby of the family at 32. He's started running, and almost the first thing he did was challenge me to a race. He wants me to come down next year (he lives in Charleston, SC) for the Cooper River Bridge Run, which comes up in early April. Loser buys a case of beer for the winner. Of course, I couldn't refuse a challenge. Did I mention that we're competitive?

Then, this morning, on the way to the train, there was a guy walking along the sidewalk about half a block ahead of me. All of a sudden, he collapses and falls into the street, and just lies in the road. Naturally, I called 911, but by the time an ambulance could get there (it was rush hour, after all), he'd gotten up, said he'd be fine, it was probably an epileptic seizure, and walked away. I waited around for the ambulance to get there, to let the EMTs know what happened.

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

I got in the Rooster Hill run this morning. My recovery period from the race is over, so I can get back to hard running, hills and possibly some speed work. I have to get in some longer distance training for my first 10K in over 10 years, coming up on May 22.

Some guy was walking his overly aggressive dog this morning on the road that goes up the hill. The dog started barking and snarling at me and tried to lunge at me from across the street. Fortunatley, this one was on a leash, so even though it wasn't particularly obedient, the man was able to keep it from getting at me. I'm thinking that it may be a good idea to get something to protect myself from dogs. I wouldn't want to hurt any dogs, but I've been attacked by a doberman before, and I would like to avoid having it happen to me again.

Monday, April 11, 2005

My 38-year-old brother, a smoker since high school, quit smoking and started running. So far it's just across the street, twice around the track (he lives across the street from a high school) and then home, but there have been more inauspicious beginnings in the past. Now if I can get my other brother to quit smoking...

My wife and my sisters refer to the three of us as "the competitive brothers" because anything we do together eventually turns into some sort of competition. If these two both start running, I can imagine that we'll be competing every time we're in the same city--race that week or not. Hello, overtraining injuries.

Sunday, April 10, 2005

As part of my three days of recovery, today was an easy day. I got out for about 2.5-3 miles slow and easy.

I figured out why I faded on Saturday. I had breakfast at 6:00 (race was at 9:00) and my breakfast was small. I think that I didn't have enough to eat before the race and was running on empty by the time the last mile fo the race rolled around. In college, we used to all go out for French Toast together before the bus left for the race. Since we usually had a pretty good ride to the meet, and we arrived early for the race, we had time to digest, but not enough to end up feeling hungry during the race.

Saturday, April 09, 2005

The race is held on the Erie Canal Towpath, and is an out-and-back 5k on a flat, fast course. About 150 runners. Weather was clear and sunny, temp about 35 and rising quickly.

In the first mile, I went out too fast. 6:14 for the first mile. I think I went out that fast in order not to get caught in the crowd in the first half-mile or so. The course is only about 12 feet wide, with a slope down on the right and the Erie Canal on the left. All of the runners also had to start by running through the finish gate, so that could have created a backlog at the start, and I didn't want to get caught in that. The flatness of the course may also have led me to go out too fast.

At the turnaround, I had to slow down to make the 180 degree turn, and the slowing and turning started my legs stiffening up. The turnaround came at the halfway point, and my time was 9:45 The return trip was slower for me than the trip out; I don't have a 2-mile time, because the 2-mile point was not marked on the ground. The second mile was perfectly flat, just like the first mile.

The third mile was also perfectly flat. At the finish, I was in 21st place, with a time of 20:14. I was the fourth of the old guys. In the last mile, I noticed two men pass me, who I later discovered (but suspected from the time I saw them) were in my age group. If I could have held on, I would have had second in the age group. First was out of my reach today--the first masters runner was in third place overall with a time below 18:00.

For the first half of the race, I was running 6:17 pace, for the second half, 7:00 pace, pretty good. I'll have to work on that second half.

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

How many different ways can I say that the weather is nice? By the middle of summer, I'll be calling 40s cold.

The temp was in the 50s this morning, with no wind and dry streets. I got out for my 4-mile hill run (maybe I should go back and re-measure that one, too). My friend the rooster sounded like he was a little hoarse this morning--I always have a little bit of trouble talking first thing in the morning, maybe he'd just gotten up and hadn't had his morning coffee yet. I didn't hear him making the "trouble starting the car" sound--maybe that's his way of clearing his throat.

I have to make an unexpected trip to Rochester tomorrow night, so Thursday running is off the schedule. I'll get out for a few on Friday, and on Saturday, I'm planning on entering a 5k race. I can use it as speedwork.

I started Jack Daniel's Running Formula yesterday. It sounds like a mixture of Bourbon and Gatorade, but it's actually a training program. I got the book from the library, but I think I'll have to buy it.

Monday, April 04, 2005

The time change messed up my sleep patterns, and with 2 full days of work this weekend, I didn't get a chance to get out and run at all Saturday or Sunday. The subway disruption on Sunday did not help at all, ensuring that I would not get home before 7:30 pm.

This morning, in my sleep-deprivation haze, I hit the snooze, then immediately realized what I had done. I lay there for what seemed like a long time, willing myself to get out of bed, and finally got up and out for three miles. I managed to get up and dressed before the alarm went off again, so it must have been pretty quick that I got out.

Beautiful weather, low 40s with only a little wind, but the sun comes up later now than it did on Friday, so I'm back to running in the dark.

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Friday, April 01, 2005

Well, it turns out that I was right about the route I ran yesterday. What I thought was about 4 is actually almost 5.5 miles. With that kind of skill at underestimating distances, I could be a coach.

That’s a reference to something that happened in college, where the coach was preparing us for a cross-country meet. He had us getting ready for a 4.3 mile race. The race had always been 4.3 miles, since the meet was first run. As it turned out, the race course had been slightly modified that year, and the course was now a 10K. The coach had missed that fact when he entered us into the meet. We each found out as we rounded the 4 mile point, thinking that we just had a quarter mile dash to the finish line, when we actually had just under 2 miles to go. We did all run PRs that day.

The next year, the race went back to being 4.3 miles.

Rest day today. Tomorrow, if the park isn't underwater, I'm going to run in Wolfe's Pond Park before going in to work.

Thursday, March 31, 2005

I got out and ran my least hilly 4 mile route this morning. I think I may have the distance a bit too short--it took me almost 45 minutes to run it this morning. Now, I was taking it easy, but I don't think I was going 10 minutes per mile, and I also have a very bad habit of having my competitive urge kick in whenever I have what looks like a race in front of me. Some pedestrian is ahead of me, and I suddenly have to get to the next driveway before they do. I also have to beat the yellow lights when they appear in front of me. So, I think I may have under-measured this run. I'll have to check it again to be sure.

Again, beautiful weather this morning; temperatures in the 40s, sun coming up, no wind and no rain. That'll change later today, though. Rain is supposed to roll in tonight, between 7 and 10 pm. Tomorrow's supposed to be a nice day, but of course, Saturday will be thunderstorms and Sunday will be mixed rain/snow with winds. Well, I'm working this weekend, so it's not like I'm missing out on anything.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

This morning was beautiful--the temperature was in the mid 40s, almost no wind, no rain, and the sun was just coming up while I was out running. that last part will change soon; with this Sunday's switch to Daylight Saving Time, my early morning runs will be plunged back into darkness.

I'm taking it easy this week--no hill runs, and Friday will be a rest day. I went about three miles this morning at a nice, easy, relaxed pace. I have no idea what that pace was, but it was easy.

Tomorrow, I'm going to try to get in my flattest four mile run--near the base of the (former) Fresh Kills Landfill. Friday off, and a run down by Raritan Bay on Saturday. That's the plan, anyway. I also have to work this weekend, so all plans are subject to change without notice.

I've been reading Joe Henderson's Best Runs and I came across a training technique used by Dick Buerkle. I had forgotten all about him, even though he's one of the best runners produced by the Rochester area. He calls it the 1-1-1 method. 1 day a week, run 1 mile 1 minute faster than your normal pace. I think I may find a measured mile (or the high school track) and give this a try for a while.

Monday, March 28, 2005

Today's 3.5 took me about 26 minutes. About a 7:30 pace, which is off my current pace. The weather today was in the 40s, but the humidity made everything feel colder than it really was. My legs were sore today, but I won't get a chance to run tomorrow at all, and I didn't want to take off for two days in a row.

On the other hand, if you want a good workout, go to a playground with a 6-year-old.

Sunday, March 27, 2005

I got out for my 4.3 miles this morning. This time, I ran the correct course. I finished in 31:29, which Running Times' Pace and Race Time Equivalent Calculator shows as a 7:19/mile pace. It also shows that I should be able to run a 10k in 46:20 (a 7:28 pace) So, with that as a benchmark, I think that 46:00 as a goal in the Lilac 10K is attainable and a realistic goal.

The weather was, once again, beautiful. Temps hovering around 50, sunny--I ran in shorts and a long sleeved t-shirt with a singlet underneath. After my run, I peeled off the long-sleeved shirt to do a cooldown in singlet and shorts, and wasn't cold while I was doing it.

I'm looking forward to the 60+ temps that are coming soon.

After my run, I took my poor old dog out for a walk. She's somewhere around 16 years old, and we walked about 3/4 of a mile. By the end, she was just looking to lie down and go to sleep. Poor old thing used to love running, but now it's just too much for her.

Friday, March 25, 2005

Even if I don't get in a run tonight, it looks like the weather will be pretty good in Rochester. The forecast is for highs in the 40s, 49 on Sunday.

I'm going to enter the Lilac 10-K; writing the check this weekend. If the check is sent in, then I'm committed--I can't back out. I've been hesitant to enter a 10-K, worried about how well I can run it. This is a race which, when I ran it back in 1980, I finished third in the open division. Nothing like holding yourself to a ridiculous standard to destroy your self-confidence. I have to relax and remind myself that, not only am I older, I haven't been in training very long.

Thursday, March 24, 2005

the mixed rain and snow made for a really sloppy run this morning--I only got in about two miles, what with the slipping and sliding around on the street

Tomorrow, I will be getting in to work early (leaving home around 5:30), so I won't be running in the morning. My flight leaves JFK at around 8pm--no time for a run beforehand--and gets in at around 9:30 (if it's on time). maybe, if my flight is on time, and I get home at a decent hour, I'll get in a late-night run.

The thing is, my running strobe light looks something like this:

only red, with a black strap that I put around my right arm that holds it tight against my arm. I'm not sure whether it would be better to put this in my carryon bag and have to take it out when I go through the metal detector or put it in my checked bag, and have it set off all kinds of security alerts if security decides to randomly open my bag.

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

I realized that I need to have my hill work in the middle of the week. If I'm going to do my long run on the weekend and have enough recovery time, and considering the number of times I have to get in to work early and fly out in the early evening on Fridays, Wednesday seems like the best day.

I got out for my 4-mile hill run this morning, and felt pretty good. I'm not keeping a watch on my training runs at this point, just running at what feels like the right pace. As I get back into the kind of shape I can be in, I'll start timing myself. The temperature was around 44 degrees when I got out, and the rain hadn't started yet. The rain started in earnest while I was on the Ferry. The temperature is supposed to drop through the day and the rain is supposed to change to snow, with accumulations of 1 to 3 inches. Glad I got out this morning.

While I was going up the long hill at around 5:45 this morning, I heard something that sounded like a car starter turning the engine without it catching. As I got closed, I realized that it was a rooster and, to confirm that fact for me, as I passed the house, the bird began crowing. Right here, in the middle of the most urbanized, densely populated area of the country, somebody's got a rooster crowing at 5:45 am. I'll bet that makes them popular with the neighbors.

I got The Perfect Mile from the Library the other day. I am enjoying it immensely--I started reading it on the train home Monday night, only have time to read while commuting, and am nearly finished.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Got out for three miles this morning. I felt pretty good the whole way, relaxed and easy, none of that "concrete shoes" feeling. Maybe it was proper hydration, maybe a day of rest. Whatever it was, I felt like I was gliding.

Today's weather will be the best of the week. For the rest of the week, we're supposed to get raim. At least the temperatures will be in the 40s. Lows are only supposed to get down to 38-39.

Monday, March 21, 2005

Well, blogger seems to not want to update today--this will be my third try at this post. Perhaps I should move my blog (as so many seem to be doing) somewhere else.

I got out for three miles on Sunday--still shorts weather, with temps in the low 40s and no rain, but my legs felt like lumps of lead. I'm taking today off, but will be back out on the road tomorrow morning. Yesterday was one of those "Why do I do it? It feels so good when I stop." days. We didn't have any snow that stuck--apparently we got a little bit of snow that immediately melted. I didn't notice, being asleep while it happened. Best way to experience a mixed rain/snow storm--asleep.

I read an interesting article In Running Times by coach Roy Benson with tables of effort-based training pace and perceived exertion. I can't afford Coach Benson's training program right now, but I'll probably use his charts. These look somewhat more affordable for me.

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Great day today. Got out around 6:30 for a new 4-mile run. I ran down by the Fresh Kills landfill. It's kind of interesting, running by the hills, looking up and seeing all these little white PVC pipes, looking like little inverted J's sticking up out of the ground.

About a mile and a half into the run, I realized that I was way too warm. I took off my pants and jacket, and ran in my shorts and long-sleeved t-shirt. I had only put the jacket and pants on because the TV Weather said that the temp was around 30. It felt great.

Thursday, March 17, 2005

A few people have been posting about their running goals. I've intentionally held off on setting any specific goals. I didn't run much in my 30s--I was around 33 when I stopped completely. So, it was around 10 years that I "took a rest" from training. My PRs were all set when I was in my 20s, and I know that I'm not going to be setting any new ones, unless it's a distance I've never run before. Since I've only run two races with measured distances since I turned 40, both 5Ks, pretty much any race I run will be a 40+ PR. (My current 40+ PR for the 5k is 21:22, run in February 2004. I haven't raced any other distances as a Masters runner) I think I will start keeping a Masters PR record, and maybe after a year of keeping masters records, I can start thinking about specific goal times.

This morning, I got out for my AAAH run, 3 miles. Felt good the whole way, temperature was in the mid-30s, no snow or ice on the roads, not even the big lakes in the middle of the intersections.

I'm going to enter the Lilac 10K in Rochester. Then I'll have a Masters 10K PR.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

OK, so I had a little trouble with my alarm clock this morning. I woke up about 19 minutes before I had to leave the house for work. Obviously, I didn't get any mileage in this morning. Tomorrow, though. I'm going to make sure of that.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

I got out for 4 miles this morning. Of the last mile, about three-quarters of a mile is uphill, so that I had a quarter mile at the top of the hill at the end of the run. This hill, which I think of as Hill, is a long, gradual hill--at least that's what it looks like at the bottom. As you go up the hill, the slope gradually gets steeper, so that by the time you get to the top, it's a pretty good slope. When you get to the top of the slope, you cross over onto a short downhill, then a nice flat section for the cooldown.

The hill must be one of the highest points on the south shore of Staten Island--at least one of the highest naturally occurring points. I think (but it's hard to tell) that the Fresh Kills Landfill is actually higher than this hill.

Monday, March 14, 2005

Manhattan and Staten, that is. With some occasional trips to Long. No running this morning-I had to get up at 4am to catch my flight. Tomorrow morning I'll be out there at 5am. The weather looks like it's going to stay pretty much OK for the week--lows are going to be in the 30s, and high temps will be in the 40s. I haven't been on SI since Friday morning, so I don't know how much snow they got there, but I know Central Park got over an inch yesterday. We'll see what the conditions are tomorrow.

Saturday, March 12, 2005

I got out for an easy 4 miles this morning. I was surprised at the number of people out running. At 8:00 on a Saturday, when there's a race in town, I expected to be the only one out on the street, but there were around 20 people out there.

My new shoes feel great. I'm glad I got them. My old shoes have been retired.

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

I didn't get out this morning. Just as I expected, the roads were covered with ice from yesterday's weather. Some of the main roads weren't too bad, but there was one stretch of road which was like a skating rink. Even walking, I had to be careful. I did get to see an idiot slide right through an intersection. He came up to a stop sign in his Expedition at about 30 mph, hit his brakes and locked them up. With his wheels motionless, he gracefully glided straight through the intersection.Unfortunately for him, he wanted to turn.

Glad I wasn't running right there and then.

No racing this weekend---it's going to be too busy. Electra's birthday.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

I got out this morning at 5am, and the weather was just beautiful. The temperature was in the low 50s and there was just a slight drizzle, but drizzly weather has never been something to stop me from running. I even enjoy a nice, light rain. I got out in shorts this morning, with only a t-shirt under my jacket--I only wore the jacket to keep myself somewhat dry, since, between my sweat and the rain, my t-shirt would have been soaked through by the time I finished warming up.

I ran three miles in the cool drizzle, feeling pretty good most of the way. I ran my AAAH run, so named because the first three roads I run on begin with A and the fourth begins with H. I have a five mile run, which begins and ends on the same two streets, which I call the AHH run. For some reason, there were only a few cars on the road, so I didn't have to worry too much about the traffic.

About two miles into the run, my right gastrocnemius started tightening up. I've always hated that muscle, only because I can't pronounce it. I've never heard anyone call it anything but "calf muscle," so I'm not sure how it's actually supposed to be pronounced. Until I hear it pronounced by a PT or a doctor, or an exercise physiologist, When I'm speaking I'll stick to "calf muscle" so I don't get it wrong.

Through the day today, the temperature is supposed to drop into the 20s, and the rain is supposed to change into snow. Tonight, the temp is supposed to drop to around 18, which should make driving very interesting tomorrow morning.

I'm getting some new shoes by mail. How exciting. These shoes will be Asics Cumulus Vs, so I'll only be running in last year's model!!!!

I'm thinking about entering a 5-miler in Rochester on Saturday. If I can get in my 4-mile run on Thursday, maybe I'll try it.

I'm still in the process of naming my running routes on Staten Island--I like to give my routes amusing (to me) names. The only one I've come up with is the aforementioned AAAH run. The others I just refer to by the names of the streets. Back when I lived upstate, it was very easy to give them good names, because the area where I lived had great street names. For instance, the run I called "Cheese Factory" went down Cheese Factory Road, and the "Stony Lonesome Run" was on, you guessed it, Stony Lonesome Road. I also gave some runs names that weren't just the name of the road. The one I called "Get Your Kicks" finished (with a good strong kick) on (County) Route 66. And there was a long run that started in the Corn Hill neighborhood in Rochester, went to Cobb's Hill Park and back. Of course, I called that one the "Corn Cobb Run."

Monday, March 07, 2005

Between my illness (now almost gone) and work, I haven't had much of a chance to do anything. I was at work all weekend (big project going off today, much prep time) and I had to get in very early this morning. No time this weekend, and nmo time this morning. Of course, the temperature this weekend was in the 40s, and the temp this morning at 5:15 was 42. Tonight, it's supposed to start raining, with the rain continuing into tomorrow morning, then turning into smow by tomorrow night. How pleasant.

Thursday, March 03, 2005

My cold is settling into my chest right now, and bronchitis is way, way down on the list of things I need to experience right now. I'm going to take it easy until I stop coughing. I'll keep stretching evenings, and hopefully this won't be much of a setback.

When I was young, the best way for me to get rid of a cold seemed to be to get out and run in the nastiest, most inclement weather I could. Invariably, I would be feeling better within 48 hours. Now, I have to watch myself in order to stay healthy. My hair, my eyesight, my children, and my immune system are all conspiring to remind me of my age.

Tuesday, March 01, 2005

The snowstorm has made running dangerous. It's not the snow itself that makes the running dangerous, you understand, it's the idiots. The people who think that just because they have an SUV, they can drive any way they want to in any conditions. With the snowbanks along the sides of the road, there's no way for me to get out of the way of a four-wheel-drive that's sliding my way. Hopefully, the snow won't last long. I really want to keep up with my running.

Monday, February 28, 2005

This morning the weather was chilly and damp. I got out for about three miles, no watch. My legs felt heavy, like I was carrying lead weights on my ankles. Felt that way the whole run, no piano dropped on my back at the halfway point.

I figured I'd better get out this morning, since we're supposed to get a good-sized storm starting around 1:00 this afternoon. We're supposed to get 6-10" of snow between 1pm and 6am tomorrow morning. the roads probably won't be clean tomorrow morning, so I probably won'd go too far tomorrow morning.

Sunday, February 27, 2005

We're supposed to get another snowstorm Monday afternoon/night, which will last through until Tuesday. The weather forecasters are calling it a Nor'easter (I didn't think anybody outside New England used that word). Maybe I'd better get a Sou'ester.

Today's a day off, but I'd better get out tomorrow morning, because I've got a feeling that Tuesday will be another slick roadways day.

Saturday, February 26, 2005

Well, for me at this stage, anyway. Got in 4 miles this morning. I decided to time myself to see how I'm doing at this stage. My four miles took me 34 minutes, exactly. That's about 8:30 pace. Not bad, considering the amount of time I was out. three months with no running can take quite a bite out of your training schedule. Of course, if I had had health insurance during that time, I wouldn't have been hesitant to run during that period, but that's another story.

Friday, February 25, 2005

Snowy day this morning--the whole city got between 4 and 6 inches of snow last night, and as usual, there's noplace to put it. I only got out for about a mile this morning, because the footing was so bad. After about a half mile, I just turned around and went back. I like to try to avoid getting killed while on my runs.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

I'm back in NYC. This morning, I got out for 3 miles. It felt pretty good, relaxed and easy. The temperature was around 35 degrees, warm enough for no hat and no gloves. I was surprised by how much ice was on the ground. The streets were slippery in places, and all of the standing water had a skin of ice on top. the salt must have washed away, and no more added since.

I replaced the battery in my strobe light--it wasn't dead, just low--and I was surprised by how much brighter and more frequent the flash was. Nobody will be able to miss me on the street now.

I'm looking forward to earlier sunrises. The sun was up by the time I left for work this morning--6:30. It will be good to be able to see things while I rum.

We're supposed to get some snow tomorrow night. I'm going to try to get out tomorrow morning and Saturday morning. Saturday means I get to run in the daylight. Yee Ha.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

The temperature soared to 22 degrees this morning, and I got out for about 3 miles. Oed wanted to stretch with me before and after my run, so we got down on the floor and stretched together.

I got in about 9:40 last night, so running yesterday was out of the question. I'm going to try to get out tomorrow. I have to say that running in 40 degree weather is a whole lot easier than this 20 degree stuff.

Friday, February 18, 2005

Not because of any injury or aches, but because I had to get in to work early today. I'm also flying out after work, so I won't be able to get in a run this afternoon. Oh, well, tomorrow will be fine. Fine and cold.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

I got out for about three this morning. My back felt a little bit tight, right above my left hip, but a few hundred yards and it loosened right up. The route feels shorter every time I run it, so I think I'll be running a longer distance before too long. I have to remember not to extend my distance by too much right off the bat.

Weather this morning wasn't too bad; the temperature was right around 32F. There are still some very small piles of snow and ice at certain intersections. In some places, the water on the street had frozen, meaning I had to pick my way around these spots. I don't need to hurt myself by trying to avoid falling after slipping on the ice. No running tomorrow--I have to finish packing at 5am tomorrow morning for my flight. I'll get out on Saturday morning.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

I got back out today for about three miles. the weather was beautiful--about 45 degrees and not too windy. I was able to get out in shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt. It's still dark when I get out, but that should change before too long. In June, twilight will be starting before 5 am.

No race this weekend. No running on Friday, either. I'm flying to Rochester friday night and coming back Tuesday morning.

Friday, February 11, 2005

yesterday was really a missed opportunity. It was about 30 this morning, not really cold, but chilly, and the wind was strong. I don't know what the wind chill was, but it was cold. Anyway, I got out for my 3 mile loop; heard the "door closing" bell of the SIRR as I went past the Annadale Station--mist have been around 5:40. I don't think I got out early enough to be there for the 5:19 train. I'm looking forward to this weekend, and being able to run while the sun is up. In the dark, it feels more dangerous and more lonely out on the roads.

I timed the last half mile of my run this morning. That hill at the beginning of that last half takes it right out of me for the rest of the half. Dashing up a hill is no way to start. I chose that route, though, in order to go down a quiet, residential street which parallels the main, heavily traveled road that I really need to go down. I want to avoid that road because it's got a fair amount of traffic, and long stretches with no shoulder or sidewalk. Anyway, that last half took me 3:33.

Still looking for a race to get into. Also looking for a gym in midtown Manhattan that won't drain my bank account.

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Last night, by the time I got back to Staten Island, I was so exhausted that I just had something to eat and went to bed. I slept like a log, and wanted to stay in bed this morning, so I decided to run tomorrow. When I got up, I discovered that this morning, the temp was in the high 40s, with light rain. By the time I get home tonight, it will be down into the 30s. Tomorrow's high temp will only be in the high 30s, so I imagine that at 5 am it will be somewhat colder--low is to be around 25-30 tonight. And there's my missed opportunity. I wouldn't have had to get nearly as bundled up for a 45-47 degree morning as I will for a 25-27 degree day. I much prefer to get out and run in shorts and a t-shirt, and the more clothing I wear, the less I enjoy it. So, tomorrow, I will not enjoy running as much as I would have if I got out today. On the other hand, I really, really needed some sleep. So, I guess instead of a missed opportunity, it was a trade-off.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

I got out late last night, around 5pm. Electra got out and ran with me for my 1-mile cooldown. I ran about 2.5, felt pretty good. I am looking forward to the days when the snow is gone, and I can run on trails. The snow is wet and crusty, but too soft to run on top of. The top layer is kind of like ice, with wet, heavy snow underneath.

I couldn't get out this morning to run, since I had to get up at 4am to catch a plane. When I get home tonight, I'll probably just fall into bed and be out for the night. I'll get up tomorrow and run early. Probably my 3-mile loop.

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

Yesterday, I got out for about 2.5 miles. It was late when I got out, due to my presence being required at the DMV. I have to get back there today, so it'll probably be late before I get out to run today.

It was cool and wet yesterday, and today looks to be colder and wetter.

Sunday, February 06, 2005

I ran in a one-mile race this morning. The race was an informal one, with a line on the pavement for a start/finish line and no chute or awards. It was an out-back race. I finished 10th overall, 6th in my age group. The top ten were obviously dominated by the over-40 crowd. Of the other four in the top ten, two were under 20 and the other two were over 30. I don't know where all of the 20+ year-olds were, but there weren't many at the race.

Electra ran in the race as well (women's under-20). She did pretty well at the race, finishing in around 10 minutes. It was really her first race, so ten minutes isn't bad at all.

Thursday, February 03, 2005

I got out for about three miles this morning. When the alarm went off at 5, I hit the snooze bar and immediately started making excuses for staying in bed. After about 30 seconds of this, I managed to rouse myself and get out of bed to go run.

I decided to run the last half mile flat out, just to see what I could do. Right at the beginning of that half mile, I stepped into a puddle which was over the top of my shoe, which made for a somewhat uncomfortable last half mile. I didn't notice the puddle because I was trying to start my watch to time that half. Considering that puddle, the steep uphill at the beginning of the half, and the sheet of ice about 300 yards into the half (which made me slow down almost to a walk so I wouldn't lose my footing), my time of something around 3:30 wasn't bad. I'm not sure what my exact time was, since I accidentally cleared my time when the alarm went off.

Tomorrow, I'm flying up to Rochester, and I'm running in a 1 mile race on Sunday. My daughter Electra has also decided to try running, and she's going to go to the race with me. Maybe my son Oedipus will come along--the race is in age-group heats, so one of will be with Oed the whole time.

I won't be able to run tomorrow morning, since I have to pack for my trip tonight. I'll get out for a nice, easy run on Saturday.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

I was revisiting some older parts of my training log at lunch, and I happened across something I wrote a little bit under a year ago. At the time, I was living in Atlanta and working out at a gym in the building where I worked. The building was on a slope and the gym was one floor up from the street on the "uphill" side and two on the "downhill" side. This was my opinion of treadmills:

Advantages:1. Safety--It would be very difficult to get run over by a car, especially when your gym, like mine, is on the second or third floor above street level.
2. Convenience--The treadmill is always there and often available.
3. Temperate--You don't have to worry about rain, snow, ice or wind when you're on the treadmill.
4. Pace Running--You can learn to run at a precise pace, since the treadmill goes at a constant speed.
5. Amusement--It's possible to listen to music or even watch television from a treadmill.

Disadvantages1. Chopped Stride--The running surface of the treadmill is too short, even for one of my modest stature. I can't imagine the difficulty someone 6'2" or taller would have on one of these machines.
2. Pace--The fastest a treadmill (at least all of the ones in my gym) will go is 10 mph, or 6:00/mile pace. I enjoy sprinting for portions of my runs, particularly the last half mile. It would not be unusual for me to run the last half mile in 2:40 or less, and that's impossible on one of these treadmills.
3. Convenience--All of the treadmills in the gym might be in use at any time, making it impossible to get a run in if you won't go outside. In addition, you can only use your gym's treadmills when the gym is open (of course if you've got enough disposable income to be able to afford a really good treadmill...) At least the street is literally always available.
4. Dizzyness--I can't be the only one who experiences dizzyness after stepping off the treadmill, can I?
5. BORING!--It is neccessary to bring music or have access to a television in order to keep interested. Next time, I'm bringing a cd player with me to keep myself going.
6. Almost forgot--that stupid emergency stop--It's there for a reason--to keep you from going off the end of the belt--but the cord must be too short or something, because it seems to be too easy for me to pull the cord and stop the whole thing.

Got out for my new 3 mile loop this morning. a little bit chilly--temps in the mid 20s. The batteries in my strobe light (strapped to my arm) are running low--the light flashes, but not a brightly or as frequently as it used to. I'll have to buy some new batteries for it this weekend and put them in.

I'm thinking about running in a one-mile race this Sunday. I've asked the race director for some more info and it looks like it might be a fun race to be in. I haven't run a one-mile race since college, and that was on a track. I'm guessing that this race is one of those straight-line mile runs where people get their personal bests (unofficial) for the mile.

The weather should be OK this weekend, temps are supposed to be in the high 30s or low 40s, so I may run in shorts.

Thursday, January 27, 2005

I got out for about a mile and a half this morning. It was cold, temp below 10 degrees, and a pretty good breeze was blowing. My face (the only exposed skin on my body) was numb when I got back, and my hands (beneath my cotton canvas gloves) were quite painful. Later this week, things are supposed to warm up quite a bit, which should make things really sloppy. Water all over, which will be better than the snow all over.

I decided last night to get out for a run this morning, since I saw that almost all of the sidewalks in my area had been cleared.

Got to get out more often. I checked out a nice 3 mile loop I'm going to try.

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

I decided that it was too dangerous this morning to get out. For all intents and purposes, the roads in my neighborhood are, with the exception of the main arterials, one-lane roads. Many of the cars which were parked on the street on Friday night are still in the same spaces, and so the plows can't get the whole street. In addition, the only place anyone shovels between the sidewalk and the street is in their driveway; there is a 3 to 6 foot tall snowbank between the street and the sidewalk. When a car comes along on one of these side streets, there's nowhere for me to go. It was tough enough walking to the train this morning, running would have been quite a hazardous thing to do. Over the next two days, we're supposed to get somewhat warmer weather. Hopefully the salt will have some effect on the snow, and the streets will get back to their pre-storm width.

Of course, if I had a membership at a health club, I could run indoors on a treadmill (ugh!), but that's really not in the budget just yet.

Monday, January 24, 2005

After reading Sean Lloyd's post about his dog, I was thinking back to when my dog was young, and she used to love to run with me. Poor old thing is ancient now, we've had her for almost 15 years, and she just can't keep up.

She still loves to run, it's just that down to the corner and back is about as far as she can go before she wants to take a nap.

Crossing Times Square--having dragged a suitcase like this, I don't envy him.

Ice Sheets in Upper New York Bay

Pedestrian near Central Park

I think I'll get a hold of a camera and bring it with me on a run or two. Unfortunately, I'm one of those primitive film-users, so I'll have to get the pix developed before I can post them. Maybe a nice shot of Raritan Bay or a picture of all the snow in the road.

Boy, I guess it pays to get your weather information from a more "live" source than the newspaper. The snowfall on Saturday/Sunday dropped about 17" of snow on Staten Island and 13" on Central Park. We were lucky, though, since in the Boston area, the snow totals were as high as 38".

I didn't get out to run at all over the weekend because of the low visibility. My not being able to see more than a few hundred yards ahead didn't bother me all that much, but drivers' ability to see me was kind of important to me.

The City of New York apparently doesn't have any sidewalk plows,

instead relying on the local residents to shovel the sidewalks in front of their residences. It apparently works, at least to a certain extent, since only a few of the houses I passed on my way to work this morning didn't have clean sidewalks. On the other hand, yesterday I was forced to walk (and would have had to run) in the middle of the street, since the sidewalks were at least knee deep in snow, and in the places where they were close to the edge of the street, waist deep. Waist deep snow is a little tough to run in.

Where this system really falls down is in the places where there is no property owner to shovel the sidewalk. Crossing the expressway bridge on my way to the train this morning, I had to once again walk down the street, since noone volunteered to shovel off the sidewalks crossing the bridge. In addition, the parking lot on the other side of the bridge had noone to shovel the sidewalk. To make matters worse, some plowing had been done, in the parking lot and the lot across the street. The snow from the plowing had been piled up, in snowbanks about 4 or 4-1/2 feet high, on the sidewalk in two places between the parking lot and the train station. Those snowbanks will be there long after the rest of the snow has melted, unless someone takes the initiative and gets rid of the snow or spreads it out.

No running today, since I had to get out of the house early in case the trains were delayed by the snow. Officially, there were no delays on the SIRR either yesterday or today, but I know better. I got to the station at about 10 am yesterday morning. I was on my way in to work because I wanted to get some things done before today. The trains to the Ferry were supposed to come along every half-hour, at 10:17, 10:47, 11:17, 11:47, etc. I waited until about 11:40, and never saw a St. George-bound train. I saw a diesel go by, bound for Tottenville, with a snowplow, and that was followed at 10:17 by a passenger train. At 10:47, I saw another Tottenville train go by, and that was the last train I saw. At 11:40, I decided to go home and hang out.

I found out today that a number of subway lines were shut down by the blizzard. Of course, not all subway lines are underground (despite the meaning of the word subway). As it turns out, the E Line is the only one which is underground for its entire length. The A and C were either shut down or had reduced service today.

Tonight, I'll see how the roads and sidewalks look and decide what to do regarding running tomorrow.

Friday, January 21, 2005

Blogger seems to have been out of commission for a good part of the morning--I kept getting DNS errors for various pages.

Another cold day today, temp around 8 in Manhattan, probably 2 or 3 degrees colder where I am on SI. The cold got to me again, but this time I eked out about a mile and a quarter, turning around somewhere between half a mile and 3/4 of a mile.

High today is supposed to be around the high teens, and tonight's low shouldn't be much lower than that. The temp tomorrow is supposed to go up into the low 20s, which should be somewhat more tolerable for me.

We're supposed to get about 3 inches of snow tomorrow afternoon--it should be interesting to see what the city does with all that snow. Dump it in the rivers, mostly (or so I would imagine).

I'll be running in the morning tomorrow, since I have some work to do tomorrow. I won't be getting any OT for the work tomorrow, but I really need to accomplish this.

Wednesday, January 19, 2005

The last five years spent in Atlanta must have sensitized me to the cold--this morning it was 8 degrees outside, and it was just too cold for me to get in any mileage. BAck when I lived in the Great White North, 8 degrees wouldn't have been much of a problem. I would have just worn warmer clothing. Now, I couldn't even make 1 mile in this weather.

I remember putting small screws into the bottoms of my running shoes the get traction on the ice. Two in each heel, four in each forefoot. Since I replaced my shoes in the spring, the damage to the soles didn't really matter. Those shoes wold become the shoes I wore to do things like mow the lawn or paint the house or other shoe-staining work.

Of course, it may be just that I'm getting older, and now I feel the cold more intensely. The cold weather and reading small print are two things which frequently remind me of my aging. Of course, my kids getting older serves as a reminder, but that seems so gradual--it's not constantly reminding me.

I recently went out and had a few drinks with my roommate from college, and we discussed this. He's worn glasses all his life, so for him it's just the most recent change in prescription. Since I've never worn any kind of corrective lenses, suddenly needing some help reading labels (when I used to be able to read a handwritten page from across a five-lane road) is a jarring reminder of my age.

Thursday, January 13, 2005

Rough day so far. Worked until 10pm last night, and so didn't get home until after 11. When I got up this morning, I felt a little of the Lower GI, so I've put off my running until tonight (assuming I get home at a decent hour). The neighborhood where I live has real drainage problems--I guess that's a problem with living on a low-lying part of an island, and picking my way around the ankle-deep puddles in the street made me take longer than usual to get to the train. The fog was very heavy this morning, and it delayed the Ferry both getting in to St. George and crossing the bay--we couldn't even see the Whitehall docks until we were just a few yards away from them. I never could see Governor's Island this morning, although I could hear the foghorn there. Obviously though, I'd rather be late than have the Ferry collide with another vessel.
The subway was packed tight when I got to Times Square to change trains. Usually, about six people get off the train at TS, but today nobody left, and we all had to just stuff ourselves into the train. As you might expect, the train was delayed, and so I got into the office about three minutes before I had to go to another floor for a major project.

Obviously, today is going to be one of those days where I spend the day running as fast as I can to stay in the same place

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

I decided that after yesterday's lower GI incident that I should take this morning off. Things were "happening" last night when I got home from work. Fortunately, my generic A-D medicine seems to be working, but I didn't wnat to take any chances.

Tomorrow, assuming I feel better, I'll get out first thing. No running on Friday, due to the travel Friday night.

Tuesday, January 11, 2005

I had to cut my run short today, because of some -- um ... intestinal distress. It turned out to be not too bad, nothing really happened, but I was at one of those "points of no return," the kind of place where, when you get to it, you can cut the run short, or by continuing, commit yourself to a longer run. the spot probably wasn't really one of those spots, but it is for me, since I'm still not all that familiar with the neighborhood.

As if I wasn't tense enough at that point, shortly after I made the turn, I was jogging down a quiet, predawn residential street, and I suddenly heard a large dog bark at me, and I could hear it kind of "bounce off" a metal storm door.

Update: The All of the following paragraph refers to the time I was actually attacked by a dog. In case somebody reads this, I wouldn't want them thinking that I filed a complaint over just barking.

I've been attacked by a doberman before, so large unfamiliar dogs do kind of unnerve me. I was on the sidewalk, across the street from the house where the doberman lived. I filed a complaint against the dog's owners and I was the third person that week to do so. The people had lived in the house less than two weeks, and their dog had already alienated most of their neighbors.

People who don't know how to care for dogs shouldn't own one.

The following paragraph refers to today's incident.

This dog didn't come out of the house or anything, but just hearing the bark and growl was enough to push me up into a higher gear, and I ran the next quarter-mile or so at a somewhat quicker pace. Once I was out of sight of the house where I thought the dog was located, I slowed back down to a jog. This was all in the last 3/4 of a mile of my run.

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About Me

Born in St. Mary's Hospital, Rochester, New York.
Attended Jesuit School (kind of like Catholic School, only more so) and went to a Public College. Lived in Staten Island and in Atlanta for a while, and moved back to Rochester in 2005.
Trying to get back into racing shape.
I nicknamed my daughter Electra and my son Oed (short for Oedipus) because they are walking, talking examples of the respective complexes.